by: Ladisla, Gyver G. Pecson, Prince Harry B. Sartin, Raymart P.

Steam System Basics: Why Steam?

There are three principal forms of energy used in

industrial processes; electricity, direct fired heat, and steam. Electricity is used in many different ways, including mechanical drive, heating, and electrochemical reactions. Direct fired energy transfers the heat of fuel combustion to a process. Steam provides process heating, pressure control, mechanical drive, and component separation, and is a source of water for many process reactions

 Steam has many performance advantages that make it an

indispensable means of delivering energy. These advantages include low toxicity, ease of transportability, high efficiency, high heat capacity, and low cost with respect to the other alternatives. Steam holds a significant amount of energy on a unit mass basis (between 1,000 and 1,250 Btu/lb) that can be extracted as mechanical work through a turbine or as a heat for process use. Since most of the heat content of steam is stored as latent heat, large quantities of heat can be transferred efficiently at a constant temperature, which is a useful attribute in many process heating application.

What are Steam Boilers?

These direct-fired units offer many opportunities for energy savings. With fired heaters, some of the options are: 1. Reducing excess air and improving combustion and control instrumentation 2. Reducing stack gas temperatures by using air pre-heater to heat incoming combustion air. 3. Installing convection sections at the heater outlets to heat incoming feed or to generate steam. Steam boilers, although many commonly incorporate such heat conserving devices as air heaters and economizers, can also often benefit by improved combustion controls and perhaps by boiler blow down heat recovery.

Steam System Improvements

In most refineries, steam is generated and then distributed

at moderately high pressure (often 600psi), as well as at medium or low pressures, such as 150 and 50 psi. The steam is used for heating and for mechanical drives (usually turbines) at many locations in the refinery. Ideally, the steam generated and distributed at this pressure levels is used at such levels, and this reduced or let down to a lower level only while doing useful work. At the lowest pressure level, also steam is ideally used for heating (or perhaps driving a condensing steam turbine) so that no steam is wasted by being vented to the atmosphere. Such a system represents the ideal goal of being in balance.

Steam System Operation: Four Principal Areas of a Steam System

Steam System Operation: Generation

Steam is generated in a boiler or a heat recovery steam

generator by transferring the heat of combustion gases to water. When water absorbs enough heat, it changes phase from liquid to steam. In some boilers, a super heater further increases the energy content of the steam. Under pressure, the steam then flows from the boiler or steam generator and into the distribution system.

Steam System Operation: Distribution

Distribution system caries steam from the boiler or

generator to the points of end use. Many distribution system have several take off lines that operate at different pressure. These distribution line are separated by various types of isolation valves, pressure regulating valves and sometimes and back pressure turbines. Effective distribution system performance requires proper steam pressure balance, goo condensate drainage, adequate insulation an effective pressure regulation.

Steam System Operation: End Use

Steams diverse uses include process heating,

mechanical drive, moderation of chemical reactions, and fractionation of hydrocarbon components. Common steam system end use equipment includes heat exchangers, turbines, fractionating towers, strippers, and chemical reaction vessels.

Steam System Operation: Recovery

The condensate return system sense the condensate

back to the boiler. The condensate is returned to a collection tank. Sometimes the water and chemicals are added here while other times this is done in the deaerator. Form the collection tank the condensate is pump to the deaerator, which strips oxygen and noncondensable gases. The boiler feed pumps increase the feed water pressure to above boiler pressure and inject it in to the boiler to complete the cycle.

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